Tea News and Biz Insights - December 31, 2021

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Omicron Cancels Restaurant Reservations | Tea Sales in Foodservice Continue to Decline, a TEAIN22 forecast | Sri Lanka Barters $5 Million a Month in Tea to Settle Iranian Oil Debt| GUEST – Research scientists Nigel Melican, founder Teacraft, and President of the European Speciality Tea Association | FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to the Republic of Ireland to visit Teacraft founder and research scientist Nigel Melican. Melican explains the necessity of mechanical tea harvesting and describes an innovation in two-person harvesters that features a rotating head that simulates a “selective” pluck without shearing leaves. Tea Mechanization Must be Well Managed –Nigel Melican is a career research scientist, founder of Teacraft technology consultancy, and President of the European Speciality Tea Association. He has monitored advances in harvesting technology for more than 40 years, from crude shears and reciprocating blades to the next generation “selective” harvesters capable of discerning and plucking (not shearing) only those shoots consisting of two leaves and a bud. Virtually all crops are being mechanically harvested now, explains Melican. Given the cost and shortage of labor and the growing demand for tea, there’s no other way that you can make commodity tea commercially viable, says Melican.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy